Toboggan



Dec. 19, 1944. I A. M. COCHRAN TOBOGGAN Filed May 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR 19 .flTToR IVYEY Dec. 19, 1944.

v A. M. COCHRAN I 2,365,174

' TOBOGGAN Filed May 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented-Dec. 19, 1944 I "Avery MtCochnan, United States I Colorado Springs 0,olo.

Application May-4, 1 943;fSerial N 5 Claims. (ci-zsq-j- 's).

(Grenadines me. act waters is;

amended Ap 30,1928? 3 757):

The invention described hereinfif patented,

may be manufactured and used bylor' forg'th'e t Government for governmental purposes}. without the payment to me of any royaltythereon' -'The presentinvention relates to a toboggan, arrd 'more particularly to a' novel form oftobog'gan whichcan be pulled and maneuvered by skiers;

toboggan is primarily designed for use by military troops, but it can also be used by civilians 'on Iong ski tours;

Theprincipal obj ct or the i'vention'is the provision of a tobogganwhich can. be controlled'by two persons; while wearing skis.

Another objectof the" invention is to provide "a tobog'gan that'isiequipp'ed with abrake that'can be operated by a skier travelling in the rear of thetoboggana- A'- further objector theinventionj is to provide means for steering the=toboggan at the same time itisbeing'pulle'd. y r

Afiirther object oftheinvention is to provide a toboggan that is of such anarrow gauge that it will ride in the tracks made by a ski column.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists of features of construction arrangement and operation of parts which will appear in the specification and be finally pointed out in the claims.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, it will be understood that slight changes in form and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and fall beyond the a scope of claims.

Referring now to the drawings in which similar characters and references in the several figures indicate identical parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the belt worn by the lead man.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the toboggan.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toboggan shaft.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the toboggan showing the shafts broken away, and

Fig. 6 is a detailed fragmentary side elevation of'the brake leverholding the brake in braking position.

Reference now being made to the drawings by res .ing. thtnsiomof 'cablei l3, are prdvided in -loi der that a skier can pull and guide thetobog'gan as 'well-asihold it back when the tobogganis going doivmhill'c' The shafts IZIar 'eI connected" to the plate.- ning's I I onthe? tiiboggan by means ofsnap hooks-1:5 which arid attached; to one end: of the tensicni-lcable l3." Aisecondspair o f-snap'hooks-l fi are enumerated to tlie; turn buckle wand are adapted; to be into rings H which are secured to a beltil w which 'isa'to be womby the skier: maneuveringejthe -tzzibo'ggan. The belt 18 is pnovided'iwitlritonghesi mend buckles 20 to secure the belt to the waistof the wearer.- This particular belt-W88: developedsfor this particular use and thei iii-ng'si: I]: are. positioned: on th'ebelt-in such a manner. that .meimevemene of the wearer can easily .cont'rdbth toboggahi "rhetension cable he center-ref the hollow shaft l2 inbordn toitl an'smit shexpull directly to the 'tolzi'og gain aridtthe' sna bean a'gairisfi thl firlll 35 attrieends (if the h'tibks fi an'd 16 are adapted to shaft l2. This construction permits light shafts to be used so there is not much weight added to the skier who must pull the toboggan. A ring 2| is provided on the front of the belt in case a tow or guide rope is used by the skiers in traversing mountains or heavy snow trails.

The shafts l2 are retained in correct position by guides or loops 22 which are secured to the sweep 23 of the toboggan [0. A brake 24 is connected to the rear of the toboggan III by means of a transverse hinge 25. The leaves 26 of the hinge 25 that are attached to the brake 24 are placed along the outer edges of the brake to strengthen the brake and thus prevent undue breakage of the brake, when travelling over rough terrain.

The leaves 26 are provided at the hinge portion. 25 with brake control rods 21. The rods 21 have eyes 28 in the end thereof to which a cable 29 may be attached. This rope is provided so thata skier behind the toboggan can operate the brake and thus prevent the toboggan from over-running the tow or pull man in the front.

Provision is also made so that the toboggan can be operated by one man. This is accomplished by having a brake-set lever 29 hinged to one of the plate rings II. The brake-set lever 29 has a forked end 30 which is adapted to receive the brake control rod 21. Openings 3| at the forked end 33 are adapted to correspond with the openings 32 in the brake control rods 21 in order that a pin 33 secured to the brake-set lever 29 by means of a chain 34 may be inserted in the openings 3| and- 32 and thus retain the brake control lever in any desired position. This combination is provided, therefor, so that the brake can be set by the operator and held in the set position by the pin and lever. before the toboggan is started down hill, the brake will operate almost as effectively as if a skier were operating it from .the rear. T

Under ordinary circumstances, the toboggan will be operated by two men. One to maneuver or pull the toboggan and one to act as brake man. Also, the brake man can use a tow rope attached to the ring 2| on the belt of the tow man to assist him in towing the toboggan.

There is thus provided a simple and effective toboggan that is easily handled and maneuvered by two men, and from the foregoing, it will be apparent that by the practice of the teachings of the present invention a toboggan is provided that combines the advantages of light weight, rugged construction and ease of operation together with the ease of adjustment of the essenfront sweep for pulling said toboggan, a belt having rings thereon for receiving the ends of said shaft, said belt adapted to control the forward movement of said toboggan when worn by a per- If the brake is set boggan from a distance attached to said brake control means.

3. A toboggan having means attached to the i front sweep for-pulling said toboggan, said means comprising a hollow shaft, a tension cable posison pulling said toboggan, a brake pivotally 0011- nected to the rear of said toboggan, brake control rods attached to said brake and means attioned therein, tension means attached to said tension cable, a brake secured to the rear end of said toboggan, brake control means attached to said brake and means for setting and holding said brake in any desired position.

4. A toboggan having rigid shaft attached to .and extending forwardly from its front and attachable to a person ahead of the toboggan whereby the person may pull the toboggan and resist its forward movement through the interposed shafts, a brake operably supported by the toboggan, and means attached to the brake and controllable by a person behind the toboggan to apply the brake to resist forward movementof the toboggan. I

5. A toboggan having rigid shafts'attached to and extending forwardly from its front and attachable to a person ahead of the toboggan whereby the person may pull the toboggan and resist its forward movement through the interposed shafts, a brake operably supported by the toboggan, and means for locking the brake in a selected fixed braking position to resist forward movement of the toboggan independently of the rigid shafts, the degree of braking action being determined by the selected fixed braking position.

AVERY M. COCHRAN. 

